Kurapika watched as his mistress went table-to-table, delivering the customers' orders in Aunt Mito's restaurant that morning. For the life of him, he couldn't understand what got into Neon Nostrad for her to suddenly decide that she would serve as a waitress in the eatery and bar of Gon's aunt.
When she informed him that morning of her career move, he did all he could to dissuade the young lady. She need not work; Aunt Mito knew that she was used to her life in the city, and that she was willing to make allowances for her. Besides, she was not used to labor.
All these were dismissed by his perky mistress with a mere shrug. She reasoned that there was no better time for her to get used to labor if not now.
So here he was, unable to take his hawk eyes off her apron-clad form as she cheerfully filled the orders of the patrons.
"Relax, Kurapika," advised Leorio, who noticed his tension-filled aura. "She's not going to mess up." He gestured to Neon, who was waving at their table genkily. The doctor waved back, then turned his attention to the blond. "By gaping at her, you're just distracting her."
Gon affirmed this. "She's doing fine. Aunt Mito says so."
Kurapika sighed and looked back at his noodles. He still hadn't touched the soup that had now gone cold after half an hour.
"Why does she have to do this anyway?" he muttered. "Do you know that I feel that she's in more danger now than back when she was a target of the Spiders?" He looked back at his pink-haired mistress. "She's so near, and yet so far. I couldn't help her."
Killua rolled his eyes. "How will you teach the girl the essence of independence if you always make her rely on you? You can't be with her forever, for crying out loud!"
Now there was a thought. He knew that it was highly improbable that this setup would last for a long time, but he couldn't imagine seeing Neon exist without someone to stand by her and take her fall if she messes up. Someone like him, to be specific.
Leorio must have read his mind, for he was groaning once more. "You worry too much for the girl. She's grown-up. Let her try walking alone."
"And if she gets lost?" he asked.
"You will find her. But until then, stay here and finish your noodles. Aunt Mito's looking at you, and she must already be thinking that you didn't like her cooking," replied Leorio before resuming his interrupted meal.
Gon smiled kindly at him. "She's happy with what she is doing, Kurapika."
And with that, he felt himself calm a little. At last, he picked up his chopsticks and proceeded to eat.
Neon was happy. And he was not about to let his worrisome nature stop her from enjoying this moment.
----------------------------------
But that didn't mean it would stop him from guarding Neon-sama. After breakfast, he refused his friends' offer to go down the lake and bathe. He remembered giving them a flimsy excuse of him having to floss his teeth or something (hey, that was the first thing that came into his mind!). After receiving weird, knowing looks, he made a follow-up of him reading a book. So his three friends left him alone, and he was one happy young man.
So here he was huddled in the corner of the restaurant, disguised as a fisherman, wearing a different color of contact lenses. He was pretending to be engrossed in the only available book in the house – a 7-day eatery menu planner—as he secretly watched the humming pink-haired waitress dispense her duties.
Earlier, he was told also by Aunt Mito that Neon would appreciate it more if he trusts her and don't watch over her anymore, but his anxieties were stubborn.
This was Neon-sama's first-ever day in her first-ever job, and he was going to make sure that it would be hassle-free for her.
"Ohayou!" He heard her greet a customer warmly. The haggard man had just come into the parlor, and his face delivered a message loud and clear – don'tpissmeoff.
Unfortunately, naïve Neon Nostrad was still affably chirping at the customer. "Would you like to try our mock chicken? How about mock steak? We also have delicious vegetable garden soups and salads. Oh, and they are all very affordable!"
The man sat down on a table just beside where Kurapika was seated. Neon followed him still chirpy and genki. She was now holding a notepad, ready to jot down his orders. "You may want to sample our wines. They are age-old and delicious, just right for weary travelers!"
"Get out of my face," said the man brusquely.
Neon blinked.
"Get.Out."
"S-Sir, won't you order—"
"Are you deaf?" he snapped, making Neon jump. "Get out of my face! You're breaking my eardrums!"
Her eyes widened, and then welled up with tears. Yet her fists clenched into a tight ball told Kurapika that crying was the last thing she would do. She turned away from him in a huff.
The bodyguard seized the chance to take a seat on the grouchy stranger's table. "I know you're not having a good day, my friend," he began, his voice even and quiet, but enough to intimidate anyone, even this I-hate-the-world creature. "But if I were you, I won't lash out on that waitress." He looked at him in the eye, his thick contact lenses unable to suppress the piercing gaze he was giving him.
The man gulped, then turned away. Satisfied, Kurapika occupied his table once more as if nothing happened and continued reading the recipe of beef stew.
When Neon arrived once more, determined to get the order of the man, she got the surprise of her life when the person suddenly mellowed, graciously giving her his order, and later, giving her a big tip.
She was dumbfounded, but with her usual naïveté, shrugged that off.
In the corner, Kurapika smiled to himself.
---------------------
The afternoon passed with no other incident like that happening. Kurapika was even starting to feel less tensed, although he still had not stopped his hawk-eye supervision on his mistress. He was still alert for men who thought they could put one over her with the bills, or those who would snap at her.
It was early in the evening when the trio arrived home, refreshed from the bath. Neon cheerfully welcomed them back.
"H-Hey, where's Kurapika? Isn't he with you?" she asked, eyes running back and forth on the faces of Gon, Killua, and Leorio.
The three looked at each other.
It was Leorio, the most veteran among them when it comes to anything sham, who spoke. "He stayed behind…he's still in the lake, uh…doing something."
Kurapika's brow rose.
"Something?" Neon asked, frowning delicately. "But it's too dark for him to take a bath! What else will Kurapika do there?"
The doctor grinned wickedly and draped an arm around the clueless girl. "Child, there are things human beings can accomplish even with the absence of sufficient light. We do best in the dark, so to speak."
"H-Hontou?" Her eyes were wide with unwarranted innocence, and it was all Kurapika could do not to use his chains and strangle the perverted Leorio.
Gon came to the rescue. "He's looking at fireflies."
"Wow!!!" She giggled. "I love how they glow! I'll go with you guys there some other time…on my day-off!"
"So you're planning to go through with this waitress job tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and the days that will follow?" asked Killua, incredulous. He earlier betted with Leorio that Neon could only stand the job until tonight. "But don't you get tired or something?"
"She doesn't," the doctor answered for her. He, on the other hand, wagered that she would last the job until next week.
"She does!" insisted Killua, who gambled his remaining chocolate supplies for their bet, through gritted teeth.
"Oh? Then how come we don't notice?" asked Leorio, grinning.
"She just isn't demonstrative. She doesn't show it well."
"I don't think so." He turned to the waitress, grinning. "Child, tell me, which part of you is tired?"
"W-Well, my shoulders and back kinda ache…"
"I'll take care of that," said the man, grinning evilly. "Do you know that applying proper amount of kneading on muscles can actually encourage anti-pain agents within us to work?"
Gon looked…awed. "Wow, Leorio! That sounds so…medical. That operation sounds so complicated!"
Killua rolled his eyes. "Actually, Gon, Leorio just wants to massage Neon here."
"Here, why don't I—" Before Leorio could even act, he felt an electricity-like lethal glare shooting his way. He looked at the corner and saw a fisherman glowering at him menacingly. The eyes went to the oblivious waitress, then back at him as if saying, Hands off, you bastard!
He shivered, then whistled innocently. Somehow, he already had an idea that the fisherman was no stranger.
"Maybe later," said Neon, beaming. "I have a customer here to serve!" She welcomed the next batch of what seemed like drunk men.
"Konbanwa!" greeted the cheery waitress, placing her tray on her chest and hugging it. "Dinner, gentlemen?" She led them to the biggest table in the restaurant.
Killua watched the scene, sweatdropping. "Doesn't she know that intoxicated men are dangerous?"
Gon rushed into the kitchen. "I'll call Aunt Mito. She knows how to handle these kinds of customers."
Neon remained unaware of the lustful gazes she was receiving from the people she was serving. "A case of beer. Salted boiled fishes. Is that all?"
The loudest of them snickered. "Well, we do want ONE thing…" He suddenly got up and grabbed her roughly.
"H-Hey!" she snapped. She looked up at him, mad. "Let me go! I'm not on the menu!"
"We'll see about that," His raspy voice and foul breath disgusted her all the more. She took her tray and smashed it on the man's face. The impact made the man step back, but only for a moment. His bloodshot eyes turned wild, and he roughly grabbed her backside, and then carried her off in his shoulder.
She screamed, panicked. "Waa! I'm afraid of heights!"
This caused the boisterous laughter among the rowdy men.
Killua and Leorio were about to move when suddenly, the salt and peppershaker sailed past them. It slammed on the assaulter's forehead directly. All gazes went to the source of the object.
The fisherman, after the whole afternoon of quietly sitting down and relishing the different recipes of his cookbook, was already on his feet, eyes crinkled in quiet fury.
The restaurant suddenly turned deathly silent.
Step by step, the fisherman drew closer, and none of the assaulter's friends even came to stop him. The mere aura of this young fisherman frightened them into immobilization. "Let her go." Three words that came out from the fisherman, but enough to make the men step back.
The leader of the group, the one carrying Neon, was still carrying on his bravado act. He didn't know of any fisherman proving to be a thorn in his fellow gangs, so why should he be frightened? He forced a smirk on his face. "And if I don't do as you say?"
Three words once more. Powerfully and calmly stated. "I'll make you."
The man sprang into action. He threw Neon at him, then took out his dagger. He ran towards the two, aiming for their hearts.
When suddenly, the fisherman's finger, poised in the air, stopped the pointed edge of the dagger.
The assaulter turned cold. Why couldn't his knife penetrate the seemingly invisible barrier of the boy's finger?
"Hold it!!!"
All heads turned to the mistress of the place. Mito was looking at the scene with her face contorted into a dismal frown. Immediately, the men's faces paled.
"I don't want any fights inside my restaurant. Understood?" she barked.
All at once, the men smiled apologetically, especially the leader. "W-We're sorry. We were a little rowdy, but we were just teasing the girl…"
"That girl is my guest waitress. Do you have a problem with that?"
"O-Of course none!" With that, the group dispersed from the eatery.
"Wow…" Killua and Leorio looked on, simply awed by the power of their Aunt Mito.
Gon's aunt turned to Neon. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"
"No, but they nearly scared me." She turned to the fisherman, who was still holding her. "Thanks, Kurapika-chan."
Silence, then everyone in the room sweatdropped.
"Kurapika-chan?" sputtered Killua.
"You knew it was him!" said Gon, laughing.
Leorio was doubling over with laughter already to even speak.
The flabbergasted fisherman gaped at her. "B-But…h-how did you know…?" Did all his disguises go to vain?
"Don't worry. I only found out about it when you caught me after the nasty man threw me like a ball." She giggled. "You guys…I rode on you on piggybacks, so don't you think I would already be familiar with your scent and touch?"
For some reason, that made his cheeks flushed. "S-Scent…touch?"
"Yes. The scent of Kurapika-chan. Irises. And his touch that could soothe me. Chamomile." Her eyes twinkled. "You don't think I know all the people who are dear to me?"
"Kurapika-chan…" Killua Zordick couldn't still put together the Kuruta's name and the suffix together and accept it as gospel truth.
"You are always so protective of me…" Neon laughed. "I should be mad at you, but thanks, Kurapika-chan!"
His eyes softened. Somehow, her appreciation for his presence…
He was happy. Very, very happy indeed.
to be continued